The present invention relates to a hearing device with a battery compartment.
Hearing devices such as in-the-ear hearing aids, behind-the-ear hearing aids, hearing instruments or miniaturized active earphones usually have a battery compartment for carrying one or more batteries for supplying the electronic or electric components of the device with electricity. As the battery will have to be removed or exchanged from time to time, this battery compartment is closed by a battery door to be opened on demand and to firmly close the battery compartment for regular use of the hearing device.
The electronic or electric components of the hearing device are usually designed to be supplied by a specific battery type and thus the battery compartment, especially the geometric dimensions of such a compartment, are defined by the geometric dimensions of the specific battery type.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,330 a removeably attached battery compartment is shown. The standard battery compartment, comprising the battery, may be exchanged by an alternative battery compartment comprising the battery and additional audio connecting means. This alternative battery compartment is geometrically bigger than the standard battery compartment, thus providing space for incorporating additional audio connecting means beside the unique battery type.
The capacity of a battery increases with its geometrical volume. Thus the bigger the geometrical volume of the battery is, the longer its lifetime and thus the time period between the changing of the batteries will increase as well. Such long-life batteries require a greater amount of space in the battery compartment which results in an increase of the overall size of the hearing device. It depends on the individual demands if the need for a small housing or the need for a long battery lifetime prevails.